Integrated circuit technology has revolutionized various fields including computers, control systems, telecommunications, and imaging. In the field of imaging, the charge coupled device (CCD) sensor has made possible the manufacture of relatively low-cost and small hand-held video cameras. However, the solid-state CCD integrated circuits needed for imaging are relatively difficult to manufacture, and therefore are expensive. In addition, because of the differing processes involved in the manufacture of CCD integrated circuits relative to MOS integrated circuits, the signal processing portion of the imaging sensor has typically been located on a separate integrated chip. Thus, a CCD imaging device includes at least two integrated circuits: one for the CCD sensor and one for the signal processing logic.
An alternative low-cost technology to CCD integrated circuits is the metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit. Not only are imaging devices using MOS technology less expensive to manufacture relative to CCD imaging devices, for certain applications MOS devices are superior in performance. For example, the pixel elements in a MOS device can be made smaller and therefore provide a higher resolution than CCD image sensors. In addition, the signal processing logic necessary can be integrated alongside the imaging circuitry, thus allowing for a single integrated chip to form a complete stand-alone imaging device.
Examples of MOS imaging devices are detailed in “A ¼ Inch Format 250K Pixel Amplified MOS Image Sensor Using CMOS Process” by Kawashima et al., IEDM 93-575 (1993), and “A Low Noise Line-Amplified MOS Imaging Devices” by Ozaki et al., IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 38, No. 5, May 1991. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,266 to Denyer titled “Matrix Array Image Sensor Chip” describes a MOS image sensor. The devices disclosed in these publications provide a general design approach to MOS imaging devices.
The primary building block of an image formed by an MOS imaging device is a pixel. The number, size, and spacing of the pixels determine the resolution of the image generated by the imaging device. The pixels of a MOS imaging device are semiconductor devices that transform incident light photons into current signals at an array cell, which may be a diode or gate cell. The signal produced by each pixel is generally extremely small, in the nanoampere range.
Although generally quite reliable, the pixels may from time to time exhibit anomalous behavior. For example, if the array cell of the pixel has a defect in its PN junction, it may generate current leakage paths, thus causing the cell site to appear as a white spot in the image signal. The pixel of such a cell site may be referred to as a “dead pixel.” The number of dead pixels on a CMOS image sensor is dependent on the quality of the process used for forming the image sensor. In a high resolution sensor that has one million or more pixels, a number of dead pixels invariably result.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus that compensates for the foregoing and other problems of the prior art. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for correcting for dead pixels in a CMOS image sensor.